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A bear was spotted in a busy residential area of Whitehorse, Friday morning.

John Gunter spotted a brown-coloured bear eating on the side of Hamilton Blvd. just after 9 a.m.

"It was heading to Lobird, and there's a trailer park there," Gunter said.

He called Whitehorse by-law, who contacted Environment Yukon conservation officers.

Ken Knutson, conservation officer said it's important all sightings are reported to the department.

"We don't like surprises and we also like to do preemptive work or proactive education before there's a problem," Knutson said. "We don't want to end up seeing someone get hurt or having to shoot an animal or kill the animal."

It's common for bears to be spotted around the city, especially in the spring.

According to Environment Yukon there were 42 encounters with bears in Whitehorse last year.

Four bears were relocated and one had to be put down. Another two bears were killed by members of the public in self-defence.